August 2011 Archives

In the wake of reported six-figure sales for New Universe "Justice League #1," DC's Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns drops by G4 TV to talk "Green Lantern #1" and DC Universe Online.

I admit I haven't been a hardcore Green Lantern follower but even I'm still singing the praises of "The Sinestro War" released a few years back.  And I hear Hal Jordan's nemesis plays quite a role in the new GL.

The DC Creative honcho also announces a Green Lantern expansion of sorts on the DC Universe Online MMO (what did I just say? Read more about DC Universe Online here).

Oh yeah, that Johns guy writes comics too, I hear he's pretty popular.

I'm not hating on holding back some info in a trailer or teaser trailer, but this first one for the upcoming film based on the bestselling young adult novels "The Hunger Games" isn't showing us much of anything.

Unless you're more than satisfied seeing Jennifer Lawrence as the main heroine, Katniss, knocking an arrow, aiming and shooting at her prey (or predator).

In author Suzanne Collins' tale of a future under government oppression, our heroine has to survive a game where youths are pitted against each other in battles to the death. No, I haven't read the books yet but I plan to.

Admittedly, Lawrence looks like she can kick some dystopian butt.

If you missed seeing this during Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, enjoy!

...Or be frustrated they didn't show more -- take your pick.

"The Hunger Games" hits the theaters March 23, 2012.

Comics pros and cosplay enthusiasts are invited to Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles Tuesday Aug. 30 at 10 p.m. to celebrate the launch of DC Comics' new universe with the debut of Justice League #1 and Flashpoint #5.

The new Justice League series boasts a superstar creative team anchored by the writing of Geoff Johns and the art of DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee.  The story in the final issue of the limited series Flashpoint should propel readers into the new universe storyline in Justice League.

Both comics go on sale at 12:01 a.m.

Special guests Scott Lobdell (writer Teen Titans, Superboy) and Kyle Higgins (writer of Nightwing, Deathstroke) are expected to appear.

Guests will be treated to the comic (as in comedy) stylings of Tom Franck of Comics and Comics. Franck will also host an interview with Lobdell and Higgins leading up to the launch.

A cosplay contest is open to all in attendance. The cosplay first place winner will get all 52 of DC Comics' number one issues to be released in September courtesy of Meltdown.

Meltdown Comics is located at 7522 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90046 Phone: 323-851-7223. Directions

Attendees to October's Long Beach Comic & Horror Con who want to show off their costume creativity at the inaugural Masquerade Ball will now have until Oct. 15 to register.

The Masquerade Ball takes place Saturday Oct. 29  8:30 p.m. in the promenade Ballroom of the Long Beach Convention Center.

Although the title makes it sound like it's a party, the Masquerade Ball is actually a contest that will be judged in a variety of categories including best re-creation, most humorous and best original design.

"A panel of guest judges, assembled from professionals in costume-related fields, will select winners," according to the official rules on the Long Beach Comic Con website.

To request an entry form please contact masquerade@longbeachcomiccon.com and check out the complete announcement and rules here.

This year's Long Beach Comic & Horror Con takes place Oct. 29 and 30 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Single-day tickets are $25 and tickets for the weekend are $45. Passes are available for purchase at the Long Beach Comic Con website.

In this publicity image released by Columbia Pictures, Jaden Smith as "Dre", left, and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, are shown in "The Karate Kid." (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures - Sony, Jasin Boland)

CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- This is one of those weeks is which five choices aren't nearly enough. We're talking about unnecessary remakes, which pretty much means ... all of them.

Rare is the remake that actually improves on the original -- this year's "The Mechanic" with Jason Statham springs to mind. But the original versions of "Assault on Precinct 13" or "The Longest Yard" or "The Taking of Pelham 123," for example, were just fine on their own, and in their own time.

With this week bringing new versions of "Conan the Barbarian" and "Fright Night," we're going to focus on movies that never should have been touched. Stop me if you think you've heard this one before:

-- "Psycho" (1998): Pretty much no one should go near Alfred Hitchcock, ever. But if you're daring enough to try, you should avoid doing a shot-by-shot remake of what is probably the master's best-known film. Still, you've got to admire Gus Van Sant's chutzpah. He shot it in color -- that's different -- and added a few slight tweaks. Vince Vaughn plays the iconic Anthony Perkins role of Norman Bates and Anne Heche fills in for Janet Leigh as Marion Crane. But other than that, it's the same characters, same dialogue, same camera angles, even the same Bernard Hermann score from 1960. It's an intriguing exercise but, ultimately, a noble failure.

-- "City of Angels" (1998): Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire" (1987) is a modern classic, and it featured one of the greatest performances by the late Peter Falk. Melancholy, thoughtful and visually arresting, it followed unseen angels who watched over Berlin, observing people's actions, listening to their thoughts, quietly shaping their lives. "City of Angels," by comparison, was too obvious -- it spelled everything out, its emotions were too tidy. Brad Silberling turned this subtle story into a simple romantic comedy starring Nicolas Cage (as an angel) and Meg Ryan (as a heart surgeon), two actors who make absolutely no sense together.

-- "The Women" (2008): George Cukor's 1939 cat fight, based on the play by Clare Boothe Luce, was intended as a satire of society mavens and their frivolous lives. In directing for the first time and writing the script, "Murphy Brown" creator Diane English made it a celebration. Sure, it had an all-female cast of solid actresses (Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Cloris Leachman), as did the original, though perhaps not quite the stellar collection that included Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell. Cukor's tone and timing were missing; English applied all the lighthearted instincts of her sitcom background and seemingly none of the insights of the source material.

-- "The Invasion" (2007): There've been many versions of the sci-fi classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," but this one had the least bite. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright went to waste as a few of the last citizens who managed to remain uninfected when a gloopy substance from outer space took over the population, turning people into emotionless drone versions of themselves. The whole point of this story has always been to serve as a reflection of its times, whether it's making a statement about McCarthyism (1956) or Vietnam and Watergate (1978). This time, there were passing TV news references to the war in Iraq and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, but the film's political ideology felt tossed-in and half-baked. Worst of all, it wasn't the slightest bit scary or suspenseful.

-- "The Karate Kid" (2010): This is admittedly a personal, nostalgic choice. But for anyone who grew up in the '80s, "The Karate Kid" inspires a deep fondness. Harold Zwart's version maintained the basic structure and even some key details, like the sweep-the-leg moment in the finale. It moved the setting from Los Angeles to Beijing, that's no big deal. The main problem was the casting of Jaden Smith, who was several years younger than Ralph Macchio was and looks even younger. And so neither the fighting nor the romance with a girl who's out of his league -- two key components of "The Karate Kid" -- made sense.



Think of any other examples? Share them with AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire through Twitter: http://twitter.com/christylemire.

In response to several blind Marvel Comics fans, the House of Ideas released an audio production featuring their popular, sightless superhero.

"Daredevil #1" is written By Mark Waid who provides panel to panel description from his script along with Marvel editors Tom Brennan, Ellie Pyle, and Jordan D. White who lend their voices to Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Kirsten McDuffie and Foggy Nelson.

"We got a lot of letters from actual blind Marvel Comics readers who have friends read comics to them every single week when the books come out," said Marvel Senior Editor Steve Wacker in the audio edition intro. "So I thought it would be a cool and fun little exercise to have a few of us together here -- very impromptu -- and read through the issue, the first issue of Daredevil."

There's no regular plan to release audio editions at this time. Wacker and crew describe this effort as an "experiment." But if the response is strong, who knows?

The link to the audio edition is here.

ABOVE: Daredevil #1 cover art by Paolo Rivera.

Courtesy of CBS Films, the creepy teaser trailer to actor Daniel Radcliffe's "first post-Harry Potter performance."

Radcliffe plays a lawyer who comes to town and encounters a malevolent spirit.

Yes, the trailer's safe for work. Expect scary, mesmerized townsfolk staring out of windows and figures emerging from the darkness.

However, if you watch it alone you may have some issues.

In this image released by Twentieth Century Fox, Caesar the chimp, a CG animal portrayed by Andy Serkis, and James Franco are shown in a scene from "Rise of the Planet of the Apes ."

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rebellious apes have held off Southern maids for a narrow win at the weekend box office.

Studio estimates Sunday pegged "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" at $27.5 million, good enough for its second-straight No. 1 finish. The 20th Century Fox release raised its 10-day domestic total to $104.9 million.

The "Planet of the Apes" prequel came in just ahead of "The Help," a drama about Mississippi maids during the civil-rights movement that debuted at No. 2 with $25.5 million. "The Help," a DreamWorks release distributed by Disney, has taken in $35.4 million domestically since opening Wednesday.

The Warner Bros. horror sequel "Final Destination 5," the latest in the franchise where death stalks victims who had been fated to die earlier, opened at No. 3 with $18.4 million.

The weekend's other two new wide releases had soft openings. Sony's action comedy "30 Minutes or Less," starring Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza deliveryman forced to help rob a bank, was No. 5 with $13 million, just behind Sony's surprise animated smash "The Smurfs," which slipped to fourth-place with $13.5 million and lifted its three-week total to $101.5 million.

The singers from TV's "Glee" failed to find a big-screen audience as 20th Century Fox's "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" opened outside the top-10, finishing at No. 11 with just $5.7 million. The concert film was shot during the cast's recent North American tour.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Help" have exceeded their studios' early box-office expectations. Both received strong reviews, "Apes" for surprising drama amid dazzling visual effects to create the simians, "The Help" for great performances from Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and their co-stars in the adaptation of the best-seller about black maids who go public with stories about working for often racist white employers.

"You've really got to see it to believe it because of the effects," Fox distribution executive Chris Aronson said of "Apes." ''The combination of the effects and an emotional story makes for a very satisfying trip to the movies."

The "Apes" prequel added $40.5 million overseas, raising its international total to $75 million and worldwide haul to nearly $180 million.

Female crowds made up 74 percent of the audience for "The Help," and 60 percent of viewers were older than 35. That's a sign "The Help" could have a long shelf life at theaters, since women and older audiences tend to get drawn to films through word-of-mouth rather than rushing out over opening weekend the way young crowds do.

"The Help" already has far outpaced the $20 million Disney executives hoped for over the first five days, and the film is playing strongly in both urban and middle America markets, said Dave Hollis, the studio's head of distribution.

"The book and the way it kind of rose to the best-seller list was very much this word-of-mouth, viral thing where people say, 'you've got to read this thing I just read,' and we're hoping the movie can do the same kind of thing," Hollis said.

"The Smurfs" also has outstripped expectations. The family hit added $60 million overseas to raise its worldwide total to $242 million, and Sony announced a sequel over the past week.

"We were ready to make the second one before we even released the first," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "We felt confident it was going to work, but I don't think anybody had any idea it was going to work to this level."

Overall domestic business increased for the fifth-straight weekend. Revenues totaled $152 million, up 6 percent from the same weekend last year, when "The Expendables" led with $34.8 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"We're ending the summer on a high note," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "The usually unsung month of August can be the time when a lot of unexpected things happen that benefit the box office."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," $27.5 million ($40.5 million international).

2. "The Help," $25.5 million.

3. "Final Destination 5," $18.4 million.

4. "The Smurfs," $13.5 million ($60 million international).

5. "30 Minutes or Less," $13 million.

6. "Cowboys & Aliens," $7.6 million ($7 million international).

7. "Captain America: The First Avenger," $7.1 million ($12.2 million international).

8. "Crazy, Stupid, Love," $6.93 million.

9. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," $6.9 million ($30 million international).

10. "The Change-Up," $6.2 million.


http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

Note: This recaps and focuses on the Comic-Con 2011 panel Is The Comic Book Doomed? hosted by Douglas Wolk that ran in my overly long "Biggest Stories, Moments and Observations post."


While major comic companies delve into multiplatform business models, prohibitive print costs and declining sales may limit some mom and pop publishers to digital-only storefronts.

At least that was the point made by one prominent industry professional who was part of a group discussing the future of printed periodicals during the ominously dubbed "Is The Comic Book Doomed?" panel at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International.

The answer to the panel's overarching question was an emphatic "no." Comics will be around for a while in a number of formats. But more specifically, the question that day was what is the state of the monthly comic book?

Popular comics writer Mark Waid ("Daredevil," "The Traveler") set the tone for a spirited back-and-forth between himself and other panel members when he admitted he would hesitate to independently launch a print comic today despite his considerable fan following.

"I know what they would cost to print and I would lose my shirt," Waid said.

The panel moderated by Douglas Wolk included Comics Professional Retail Organization executive director Amanda Emmert, Laura Hudson editor of Comics Alliance, Cartoon Books publisher Vijaya Iyer ("Bone") and Waid.

Waid said he believed monthly periodicals will be healthy for the big two for quite a while because they have the deep pockets needed to put enough of their product out there and not take a staggering loss.

Iyer estimated costs of about 40 cents an issue on a print run of 3,000 for "Bone" when she and husband Jeff Smith launched the successful series years ago.

Waid said the costs today per issue to print are at least double those from the "Bone" example (80 cents per issue).

The panel considered what kind of sales numbers would be enough to make a comic a hit. The recent example of John Layman's "Chew" from Image comics was cited. "Chew" hit the direct market and had significant sales numbers (averaging more than 10,000 copies) in its first few issues of its debut two years ago.

Now, the imaginative comic about a federal agent who gets psychic clues from what he eats appears to be THE success story many comic publishers want to emulate.  

Some smaller publishers considered average sales of 7,000 to 8,000 copies of an individual comic to be a solid run, said Emmert. And she defended the notion that a dip in monthly comics sales means the end.  

"I feel like it's a redefinition of perspective," she said "Did sales go down because of the economy and things like that? Well yeah, things are down but does that necessarily point to doom?"

Emmert said it's still about making a great comic and getting out there and working hard to push a publication for some time to build an audience.

Waid says the path for a new publisher and small publisher is a tougher road nowadays.

"I think your chances were much better breaking even twenty years ago," he said.

For Cartoon Books, the costs of publishing a monthly book is pretty much subsidized by sales and that readers enjoy them, said Iyer. However, she did admit "we actually do make our money on the trade books."

Listen to the entire "Is the Comic Book Doomed?" Panel here.

As a side note: In the Digital Disruption: Comics, Webcomics, and the Business Model of the Future panel later that afternoon featuring Mark Waid and Scott Kurtz (creator of the popular web comic "PvP"), the "Daredevil" writer said he was planning to announce a digital comics venture of his own in coming months.

ABOVE: "Bone," one of the most successful comic book series from an independent publisher (Cartoon Books), celebrates its 20th anniversary.

In the twenty-plus years since its publication, James O'Barr's violent, supernatural vengeance tale The Crow has firmly sealed its place in popular culture. For many comic book fans, O'Barr's storytelling and detailed artwork were unforgettable. For film fans, its the title character's depiction by the late Brandon Lee that comes to mind.

The Crow, the story of a mysterious avenger seeking the criminals who murdered a loved one, was inspired by the tragic death of O'Barr's girlfriend. A teenager at the time, O'Barr said he called his girlfriend for a ride and as she was leaving to pick him up, she was "run down by a drunk driver." 

Now, the comic series has new life in the recently released The Crow Special Edition which features new story elements and artwork from the writer-artist. The updated work includes new sequences and a foreword from O'Barr on his personal journey from grief to self forgiveness through this tale.

O'Barr gave a brief interview by email to Modern Mythology on re-releasing The Crow, the satisfaction of creating a piece of art without digital assistance and some new projects on the horizon.


MODERN MYTHOLOGY: In your foreword to The Crow Special Edition you wrote that everything you included in this new edition is what you originally intended to be in this very successful series.  Can you elaborate on why you decided to "mess with success?"

J O'BARR: I always felt like the book was incomplete, that on some level I'd failed to show the depth of Erik and Shelly's relationship, and this was my chance to go back,finally, and portray in detail a more rounded, less shallow depiction of that ultimate love. I wanted to have a segment in there showing their lives before tragedy struck as well, how they were a typical young couple deeply in love. Also, I felt there was needed a more sound resolution at the end to bring the book full circle, and the intervening years since its original publication illuminated what was the real torment behind the series apart from loss: guilt.


MODERN MYTHOLOGY: I would like to ask you about your writing and art process. And I've always been curious about it. The creation of The Crow was one driven by strong emotions.  Did you start with the art and write your dialogue and story to it or did you begin with a full script or plot and then went to the drawing board?

J O'BARR: I essentially used the book as a day to day diary, which of course cannot be planned. If I was feeling depressed or sad or outraged that was what I drew. I had a basic outline and characters (all of whom are based on real people I knew in Detroit) but the story sort of ebbed and flowed with my day to day struggles. A kind of art therapy in the fact that I thought if I could spill all this anger and loss off my chest I wouldn't have to carry it into the next day.


MODERN MYTHOLOGY: You have sequences that use various art tools and you emphasized "no computers were used" in the making of this book (I haven't heard the term zip-a-tone in years!). Why do you choose to use those materials and no computers? Do you believe it makes the artwork a more pure form of expression?

J O'BARR: While I do appreciate computers as a tool and have seen some amazing things done on them (Jon Fosters work is a fine example), I just have no need for them,and the real joy for me is in creating something from the ground up. I used to build muscles cars in the late 70s and the fun of that was in knowing that I built this, with my own two hands, and if I'd taken it to a shop to have it done it would have robbed me of that pride.That's how I feel about computers, it just steals the joy out of creating. I have a finished piece of art when I am done, complete with tones and lettering. I don't have to hit "print" to see what I've done.


MODERN MYTHOLOGY:  Who are some of the comics artist and writers you enjoy reading today?

J O'BARR: I honestly don't read a lot of comics anymore as they, for the most part, geared towards a younger audience. I do follow artists, Jordi Bernet in particular, and a few writers, Brian Azzarello does some fine crime fiction, but mostly I read books and watch films to see what I can add to my craft. My inspirations are invariably from the old school of comics, Will Eisner, Frank Robbins, Steranko, Kirby. I think Paul Pope does some pretty energetic storytelling and love anything Darwyn Cooke does as well. Comics have planed out to some extent where it's just so repetitious that it's boring. They need to reinvent themselves, if it's not too late.


MODERN MYTHOLOGY: The Crow has spawned a lot of adaptations across the media with another new screen version in the works. And obviously it was a hit with us comic readers. Why do you think it resonated with so many fans who may not know its comic book roots?

J O'BARR: I think every generation has its disenfranchised youth, those kids who question the way things are, who are unhappy with their lot in life and in a romantic way wish for something better, bigger, stronger, more truthful. I know I was one of those kids and I don't really think I'm all that different from most other people. There will always, I hope and pray, be those kids that don't fit in because they are the future artists, musicians, writers of the world.


MODERN MYTHOLOGY: Is there anything else you have in the works that you can tell your readers and fans about?

J O'BARR: Right now I'm working on an epic Gothic Western which is in essence a retelling of The Wizard Of Oz; Four characters going on a journey, all the people they meet along the way.They all want something different at the end but as in all good road pictures, its about the journey. I tell people if you liked The Crow you will love this. Its 4 times more romantic and 10 times more violent (it is a western after all) and its in full blazing Technicolor, all in anamorphic widescreen panels. I'm also doing a Crime Noir book with my friend John Bergin, and plan on a WW2 book sometime soon.


The Crow Special Edition is on sale now. (ISBN 978-1-4516-2725-1)

Note: This recaps actress-model Adrianne Curry's "costume incident" that ran in my "Biggest Stories, Moments and Observations post."

It's become clear to me that I should not rely on Ms. Curry to only dress in Slave Leia attire. That's Christy Marie's job. I should, instead, expect a bevy of expensive geek-tacular outfits inspired by everything from Star Wars to Aeon Flux.

Speaking of Aeon Flux... Curry's latest costume was so "character accurate" it caused some hurly-burly with the cops who reportedly told Curry she needed to cover her bottom. Here's one site that caught the "Cosplay Queen" after she had to wrap a red sweatshirt or something around the outfit. Trust me, there are plenty more revealing costumes around Comic-Con than this.

See the photograph of Curry from her Twitter below. If you grown ups want to see Curry's Flux outfit from another angle in an earlier design click here.

She also sported a dominatrix-inspired "Imperial Recruiter" outfit.  See more pictures on Curry's Facebook.

What was the biggest news from the biggest pop culture, comics and entertainment show of the year? More than a week after the fact? Where do I start?

The 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International had its fair share of announcements and stunts. One of them was me navigating the crowds with a crutch and a broken leg (Everyone was extremely helpful by the way). I saw a girl with a full leg cast -- she made it to the show too so I shouldn't complain.

I will mention some quick items first:

The Black Dynamite animated series preview (and teaser trailer).

Jason Aaron and Marc Silvestri on the "The Incredible Hulk." (see comic trailer)

The 2011 Black Panel pays tribute and says goodbye to comics, animation writer-producer and icon Dwayne McDuffie (full audio).

And IDW brings "Popeye" back to comics.


OK, now I'll share a few of the things that caught my eye, ear and inbox that week and weekend in the countdown.


1. Legendary Comics prepares to launch Frank Miller's latest work and re-introduces us to some old friends.

Miller's terrorist vs. masked man graphic novel "Holy Terror" is set to hit the stands in September through his publisher Legendary Comics under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Bob Schreck. A trailer for "Holy Terror" was released the week of the convention. It features a character know as The Fixer (he was going to be Batman before the plug was pulled on that idea). Check it out if you haven't caught it yet.  The other news is that Legendary plans to release a new work from artist-writers Matt Wagner and Paul Pope.

According to the Beat, Wagner's comic will feature a "supernatural bounty hunter" and Pope's book will be an art book titled "PulpHope."

Sure, a lot of the work from Legendary Comics is likely to be considered for multiple entertainment platforms since it is an arm of Legendary Pictures. But how will the work of three creators with strong points of view translate to other mediums? Miller's vision may have influenced successful "300" and "Sin City" films but his adaptation of "The Spirit" was D.O.A.

I will say one thing, I am curious to see the comics.